German car lobby group views EU emissions targets as too challenging

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany’s VDA car lobby group said on Wednesday it views the European Union’s proposed tougher car emissions targets as hard to meet and putting European car makers at a disadvantage in global markets.

“From today’s perspective, it is more than questionable whether the proposed CO2 targets are achievable. That will depend largely on how fast customers will accept alternative engines in the coming years and how fast public infrastructure is built,” VDA said in a statement.

It added that European car makers were hit worse than peers in other parts of the world.

The EU proposal calls for the reduction of 30 percent of average CO2 emissions by 2030 from car makers’ fleets compared with 2021 levels. It also sets an interim goal of a 15 percent reduction by 2025 to help ensure automakers kick start investment early.

But it has already met with opposition from nations with big automotive sectors, such as Germany.